


The new chef

by kkukkungichokkomi



Category: Infinite (Band), Monsta X (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Fluff, Hate to Love, M/M, Romance, changki rise, sou-chef!Kihyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-04-29 01:29:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkukkungichokkomi/pseuds/kkukkungichokkomi
Summary: Kihyun is a chef in his favorite, luxurious restaurant and he's very happy with his job until a new chef appears. His boss makes him his helper and he has the incredible idea of making him suffer - until he realizes how adorable the new chef is -.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm back with a new one!
> 
> This will be short, maybe two or three chaps because I'm very busy since I started my classes and I want to give you something at least xD
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!! <3

Kihyun had always been a hardworking person. Since he was very young, he’d achieved everything he aimed for so, when he grew up, he managed to get into the luxurious restaurant he’d always wanted to work for. Kihyun had studied years to be a chef and, at that moment, he felt he was on the best moment of his career. He started as a mere apprentice there and he achieved his objective of becoming a sou-chef. His only boss was the executive chef, Kim Ryeowook, and Kihyun was extremely happy because he admired the man a lot. Every day, he woke up in a good mood because he knew he would be able to express his art by cooking incredible dishes in the company of a good team. Every single person did a great job and they complemented each other perfectly. Kihyun thought there couldn’t be a better workplace and he wished to stay there for a long time.

That morning, he entered his apartment’s kitchen and found his roommate, Hoseok. The latter was making - or trying to make - himself some breakfast, dangerously holding his cup of energy juice in his free hand. Kihyun stared at him while standing by the door, holding his laughter as much as he could. It was always the same story with Hoseok. The latter wanted to do everything by himself but he just couldn’t. Kihyun watched the show until his roommate grabbed a knife and tried to cut some strawberries with one hand. It was so dangerous he just had to head forward and help him. “Kihyunnie!” Hoseok’s high pitched sound filled the whole apartment as Kihyun quickly sliced those delicious-looking strawberries. The chef then grabbed the pancake mixture Hoseok had made before he arrived to the kitchen and made sure it was okay before he started cooking them. “I can do it, you don’t need to help me with everything” Hoseok said, drinking from his energy juice, prepared with all kinds of vegetables. Kihyun didn’t answer; he kept on working without even glancing at his roommate and forced him to give up. Hoseok crossed his arms over his chest, making his t-shirt’s sleeves almost rip apart with those prominent biceps.

“Are you heading to the gym after breakfast?” Kihyun asked, flipping the second pancake expertly and placing it on the white plate which was lying on the kitchen counter. Hoseok just hummed in response and left the empty glass on the sink. Once Kihyun was finished, they both sat on the table to eat something. The sky was extremely gray outside and Kihyun was sure it would rain soon. He grunted. He hated rain because he had to wear coats and take an umbrella with him, and he always forgot about it. Hoseok chuckled at his behavior, ruffling his dark brown locks to piss him off more than he already was. “Oh, come on, hyung! Don’t do that” Kihyun combed his own hair, sighing in annoyance while doing so. Hoseok laughed and finished his first plate of pancakes. “I’ll be leaving. Lots to do at the restaurant” Kihyun stood up and left his things inside the sink. “Please, do the dishes this time” he remarked before closing the door.

When he started walking through the streets of Seoul, he felt a droplet of water hitting his nose. With that, the chef realized he hadn’t taken an umbrella with him and cursed under his breath. Hoseok kept on insisting they should buy a car but Kihyun didn’t like driving. He went on, entering the subway station as fast as he could not to drench his precious, blue coat. As his trip to work went on, he got grumpier and grumpier. That day wasn’t one of his favorites though he was sure his job would help him relax and forget about the pouring rain.

Once he spotted the restaurant, he ran, hurrying to get in. The place was still closed for the public and the employees were the only ones there. Kihyun bowed at the waiters and waitresses and headed to the kitchen, where he found his coworkers - at least some of them -. His boss, Ryeowook, was already giving some instructions to Mingyu, another sou-chef, while the others waited. Kihyun greeted everyone and walked past them to go change. Once he was ready, he returned to the kitchen and noticed Ryeowook was missing. What was the elder doing? Kihyun raised his shoulders to himself and stood in between Mingyu and Woohyun, helping them prepare some ingredients for later. They did some things before they opened the place so they didn’t have to do everything in a hurry. The restaurant was huge and, even if they had a hundred employees doing different things inside the kitchen, they had to be ready.

After what felt like half an hour, Ryeowook came back into the enormous kitchen with some boy following him. Kihyun didn’t pay much attention at first but then he noticed something: the male was wearing their chef uniform. Before Kihyun could think of any possible theory of the situation, their boss called all the sou-chefs and made them stop working. “As you already know, I like to include new chefs in this huge kitchen from time to time and I figured Mingyu and Kihyun could use some help” Ryeowook smiled but Kihyun wanted to throw up. Was his boss seriously trying to make a newbie work for them? Two professional sou-chefs with a kid? “This is Im Changkyun, everyone, one of the several students who went to my cooking seminars” he patted the boy’s back. “And I’ve already hired him as a chef so treat him nicely” Ryeowook narrowed his eyes at the others - who didn’t seem so happy about it either - and turned around to keep on giving orders.

“Um... hello” Changkyun awkwardly greeted them, waving his hand once and keeping a soft smile on his features Kihyun wanted to erase so badly. “I’ll do my best to help you!” he enthusiastically added but there was no reaction from the elder chefs. Kihyun smiled at that; he wanted him to suffer. The sou-chef had to earn his position in the restaurant and that kid appeared out of nowhere because Ryeowook saw him in his seminars, how convenient.

“What are you all doing?! Get to work!” their boss returned from his short trip around the kitchen. “Go help Kihyun, Changkyunnie” Ryeowook called him by a nickname and that pissed Kihyun off even more. Changkyun looked around, feeling lost due to the fact he didn’t know the sou-chefs’ names. “Oh, it’s him” their boss pointed at Kihyun and Changkyun bowed, hesitantly approaching the elder male.

“S-sir, what can I do for you?” the boy asked and Kihyun suddenly had an idea. The newbie was under his command; he could make him do the worst tasks.

“Wait there while we cook and then wash every little item we use” Kihyun said and Mingyu turned to look at him, raising a brow out of curiosity. Changkyun stared at him blankly for a few seconds, not quiet getting if that was a joke or not.

“Sir, I...” the young man paused, nervously avoiding eye contact. “I-I’m a c-chef, you k-know? Don’t d-dishwashers do t-that?” Changkyun played with his own fingers, still not looking at Kihyun.

“No, they do a different job and they don’t wash by hand” Kihyun said and Mingyu was trying not to laugh. “Just grab every little bowl we use and wash it properly so we can reuse it, understood?” the brunette ordered and Changkyun nodded. “Oh, and wear one of these. You cannot let hair fall in the food” he pointed at his black bandana that was under his chef-hat.

“Yes, sir!” Changkyun replied and quickly headed to the locker room to look for his.

“We are gonna have fun with this” Mingyu whispered before the new chef returned and they both shut up while they got things ready for a packed restaurant.


	2. First chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, guys! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update D:
> 
> I've been terribly busy with my classes and I've been having lots of tests and assingments so... that's my reason for being so damn slow this time :(
> 
> I hope you enjoy this and I promise I won't take so long with the second (and last) one ^^
> 
> <3

Nothing went the way Kihyun had expected to. After that first encounter with the new chef, he kept on giving him absurd tasks all along but his coworkers didn’t seem to have the same opinion as him. Changkyun was cute and enthusiastic. He had a lot of energy and never refused to help others, in fact, he did the opposite: offering help. At the beginning, everyone wanted to keep Changkyun as far as possible but, as weeks went by, they grew fond of him. The latter used to eat in the furthest corner of the counter and no one said anything about it. Though, the last three or four days, if Woohyun didn’t invite him to eat with them, Jihyun did it. Kihyun and Mingyu seemed to be the only ones able to see what the boy was up to. It was pretty obvious he wanted to climb positions and be a sou-chef too; the brunette was sure. Having Ryeowook under his spell was his first step and now he had the whole kitchen making sure he was okay. _‘This is ridiculous’_  Kihyun thought, pouting unconsciously while cooking some meat.

The kitchen was busy that Saturday night. Usually, a lot of costumers went to the restaurant over the weekend and they had a lot of work to do. Orders kept coming and Ryeowook spent his time yelling commands at everyone. Kihyun’s head was about to burst and Mingyu didn’t seem to be in a better state. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and he was moving as fast as he could. “Sir, what can I do for you?” a familiar voice said. _ _‘Great’__  Kihyun growled, not wishing to deal with Changkyun at that moment.

“Don’t you already have anything to do?” the sou-chef asked and got even grumpier when the other nodded.

“I do have something to do b-but...” Changkyun shyly replied. “I just... you... you seem to be very busy and...

“Get to the point! Of course I’m busy!” Kihyun couldn’t stop himself anymore. The heat in that kitchen, Ryeowook’s loud screams, the noise the utensils made... everything was making him grumpy. The worst part was Changkyun managed to cause that feeling to grow inside his chest and it never happened before, not a single time. Not even when they had as many costumers as they did that night, not even when Ryeowook told him he needed to do a better job. Nothing except that kid.

“I’m sorry, sir!” Changkyun bowed. “I just want to be useful since you have so many tasks to do” he finally got to the point and, as much as Kihyun hated him, he seriously could use a hand.

“Cut those vegetables” the brunette muttered and he swore a tiny smile formed on Changkyun’s lips. “And do it quickly” he added and watched the new chef for a few seconds to make sure he got the right utensils to do it. Thankfully, he did, and let Kihyun concentrate on his own task. Once he finished making several steaks, he placed them carefully on the plates and grabbed some of the already cooked vegetables he made before starting with the meat. He gave the dish one last touch with Ryeowook’s special gravy and sent those orders away. Kihyun was satisfied but, when he turned around, Changkyun was only halfway. The brunette wondered how could that be until he saw the way the male was cutting the vegetables. Changkyun was slow. Extremely organized and neat; but still slow. Kihyun hadn’t noticed it before because he did his best to avoid any kind of eye contact in between them though he couldn’t do it that time. “What are you doing?! Hurry the hell up!” he shouted, startling the other.

“I’m sorry again, sir! I’ll try to go faster” Changkyun bowed slightly and he moved ‘faster’. Kihyun turned around and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He needed those vegetables but he decided to ignore his companion and search for other ingredients to prepare other dishes. __‘I shouldn’t waste my time scolding a boy’__  Kihyun told himself, focusing only in his hands which moved expertly. When he finished his other orders, he turned back to Changkyun and he was finally done cutting. The younger gave the vegetables to Kihyun so he could cook them and flashed him a nervous look. “I hope they are okay... I did my best” he shyly spoke, and bowed before leaving to help other sou-chefs. The brunette was surprised to find every little piece exactly the same size as the other though he said nothing about it. Kihyun couldn’t compliment him, not even if he did a good job. He was still angry and he knew Changkyun’s true intentions.

“That little shit” Mingyu whispered. “He thinks he can come here and help us... how funny” he added and Kihyun nodded, replying with one of his various bitchy comments. Though, when he turned around to take one last look at Changkyun and found him doing a lot of things to help, he doubted his own thoughts just a tiny bit. The young man wasn’t lying when he assured him he had things to do but he couldn’t bring himself to trust him yet.

 

After their long and tiring shift, all the sou-chefs and chefs gathered around the locker room to change into their respective clothes before leaving to their respective homes. Kihyun's stress level was a bit lower at that moment of the night and he wished for his bed so badly. "Let's go have some drinks!" Woohyun yelled and a lot of them agreed. Mingyu stared at Kihyun, thinking maybe that time he would say yes though he didn't. Even if he hated having Changkyun there in the kitchen, drinking to forget wasn't something he did nor enjoyed. The tall one rolled his eyes at Kihyun and muttered a low 'see ya' before leaving with the others. Kihyun just sat there in his fresh clothes, letting his mind wander. He did that a lot lately and he knew it wasn't healthy but he couldn't help it. Getting annoyed, Kihyun stood up, feeling it was enough thinking for one day. He grabbed his coat and wore it before exiting the locker room.

Kihyun walked, checking if he had any calls or messages in his cellphone - which he didn't - and jumped in surprise when he saw someone was still in the kitchen. A single light was left on and there Changkyun was, slicing vegetables. "Hey!" Kihyun called as loud as he could, startling the poor boy. The latter looked as if he was committing some sort of crime though there were no rules written about staying late. The only problem was, Kihyun had a key to lock the restaurant and Changkyun obviously didn't. The sou-chefs had that kind of responsibility and the elder wanted to leave as fast as he could because they had to work again on Sunday. "What are you doing, kid?" Kihyun asked and waited for the other to say something.

"I was just... practicing" Changkyun replied and Kihyun could not believe what he heard. Was the younger doing it because the brunette told him to do a better job? That wasn't possible. No one had ever done something like that when he told them they weren't good. They mostly got mad and tried to show him he was wrong somehow. "Y-you told me I should do it faster so... I thought it would be useful to stay extra hours and..." he paused, earning no response from his superior. He was starting to get nervous. "...practice?" he kind of asked and Kihyun blinked a few times until he came up with something to say.

"W-well" the elder cleared his throat, still shook about what he'd heard. "Do it at home. I need to lock this place" he ordered and Changkyun quickly saved the vegetables inside some container - placing it carefully in the fridge -, cleaned the counter, and took off his chef shirt, placing it inside his huge backpack. "Obedient" Kihyun whispered to himself, not fully convinced the male was showing his true self.

"Ready!" Changkyun shouted enthusiastically and Kihyun couldn't help to wonder where all that enthusiasm came from. He was like a puppy, mixed with a kitty; something very cute in people's eyes. But not in Kihyun's... not at all. They walked together in silence and Kihyun could notice Changkyun's hands playing with the hem of his sweater. He was nervous and the sou-chef couldn't blame him. He hadn't been the sweetest person; he'd been pretty mean. "Let me help you, sir" Changkyun offered once they reached the main entrance though Kihyun shook his head.

"You don't need to help, go home. It's late and you are, what? 19 years old?" Kihyun said, taking his key out of his pocket.

"I'm not 19, sir. I'm 23..." Changkyun was trying to hold a giggle and Kihyun noticed it but decided to ignore it. "And I'll help" he started lowering the iron-bars structure which covered the restaurant's main door. Kihyun wanted to repeat his words and tell Changkyun to leave though he couldn't do it. He surrendered under the younger's cuteness and decided to help him in silence. Kihyun would never admit it, but closing the restaurant with someone else was way easier. They finished the job in less than 5 minutes and the younger flashed him a short smile. "Have a good night sleep, sir" Changkyun bowed and left. Kihyun realized they took the same night bus though he decided to wait for the next one. The younger was softening his strong character and he couldn't let that happen.

When he got home that night, Hoseok was doing some push-ups on the carpeted floor. He had only a pair of socks and his boxers on and Kihyun was wondering how he endured the cold in those clothes. "Hey, Kihyunnie" Hoseok stood up and finally put on a huge, gray sweater that covered his muscled torso. "How was work?" he asked and drank some of that awful protein shake he made every single day.

"It was fine. I'm just too tired" Kihyun went past his roommate. "I'll go to bed" he yawned. "And you should do it too" he said. "It's 2 in the morning, Hoseok-hyung" he rolled his eyes and Hoseok chuckled, following him through the hallway.

"Yeah, you are right" the elder circled an arm around Kihyun but earned a harsh punch in his stomach. He was all sweaty and the sou-chef couldn't stand that.

 

 

The next week, it didn't get any better. Changkyun was starting to believe he could approach him more often and Kihyun didn't like that. He was an authority and he knew that boy would make him fall in his trap as the other fools did. Kihyun tried to avoid him but he couldn't. Ryeowook saw them working side by side on Tuesday and made sure they were closer from that moment on. That Saturday night, when working, Kihyun noticed something horrifying. He turned to ask Changkyun for some ingredients he had been chopping and he had to stare at his fingers for a while before accepting it was real. "What on earth happened to your fingers?" Kihyun asked. The younger's digits were all covered in band aids and, even if it was obvious, he wanted to know what happened.

"Oh, this?" he moved his slender fingers and Kihyun nodded. "I was practicing the whole week and I accidentally cut myself twice... or maybe thrice... or maybe more" he scratched his nape. "It's okay, I can be a little clumsy sometimes... But at least I'm getting better!" Changkyun smiled brightly and kept on chopping. Kihyun watched him do it and it was a bit better, he had to admit, but his technique was poor. The sou-chef could clearly see why he cut his fingers that much.

"You need to be more careful, kid, you are doing it all wrong" Kihyun stepped closer to the chef, staring at his hands to memorize all his mistakes. "Let me teach you" the elder pushed Changkyun aside and grabbed the knife himself, leaving his tasks for a few seconds. He had to wait for the ingredients to cook anyway so he didn't mind telling him one or two things that were extremely important. "Pay attention, okay? I'm not repeating this" the brunette saw Changkyun nod and chopped a whole onion perfectly. "Could you recognize your mistakes?" Kihyun asked and the younger seemed pensive.

"I'm stretching my fingers and I should curl them so I don't cut myself?" the chef hesitated a bit, but when Kihyun nodded he seemed relieved.

"It's not only curling them, you have to make sure your fingernails are pointing downwards so, in case the knife goes near your digits, nothing happens" Kihyun showed him slowly this time. "And you have to move your other hand like this so you can go faster" the elder explained, showing his helper the correct technique. "And you have to hold the knife like this, see? You were doing it wrong" Kihyun said and Changkyun nodded. "Try it" he ordered and the boy did. As he grabbed the knife, Kihyun noticed he was left handed. 'That must be hard' he thought while watching him, though he got surprised at how much he improved with just those silly recommendations. Changkyun was capable of many things, even if he didn't realize it. Kihyun stared at him for a few more minutes and nodded. "Much better" he said and Changkyun smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you, sir! I'll make sure to do it perfectly next time" he raised his fist and made the elder roll his eyes. "I'm sorry, I'll just keep working" he whispered, getting suddenly shy. Kihyun knew he saw his annoyed gesture but he couldn't help it considering he didn't like the younger at all. Kihyun didn't say anything, he just returned to his spot and made sure everything was slowly getting cooked.

 

 

“Sir, is this okay?” Changkyun’s voice again. Kihyun turned to look at him with his scariest glare but the boy didn’t seem to realize it. He had been asking him things the whole day and the elder wasn’t up for that shit. Mingyu was staring at Changkyun bitchily, trying to help Kihyun, but nothing seemed to work. After the night Kihyun helped him, he had been trying to perfect his technique and he was insecure about everything he did. That was the main reason for all those questions. “Oh, I see... not okay, right?” Changkyun asked and Kihyun let out a long sigh, massaging his temple not to murder someone.

“Changkyun” the sou-chef tried not to yell because Ryeowook was near them, taking a look at everyone’s task. “You should make it darker, add more tomatoes” he answered the question, not being able to help himself. “Now, please go to your place and stop asking me questions!” Kihyun raised his voice a bit but, thankfully, Ryeowook didn’t see him. Changkyun got startled at that and then he used that awful sadness expression that made every other sou-chef fall for his trap. Everyone believed he didn’t do it on purpose, but Kihyun was sure he was trying his best to have every single person under his feet.

“I’m sorry, sir” the black haired bowed deeply and left, making Kihyun sigh once again.

“I’m so done with him” Mingyu whispered. “What have you done lately? He seems to feel more comfortable around you” his friend was right, he shouldn’t have treated him well; he shouldn’t have helped him. But he couldn’t turn back time so he had the idea of rejecting the boy endless times to make him give up.

“Don’t punch me, okay?” Kihyun said, stepping closer to Mingyu in order to tell him what happened. “I helped him the other night...” he confessed and the tall one rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry! He was being so damn slow and I got impatient! You know me” Kihyun explained - without mentioning the part where he saw Changkyun’s wounded fingers and felt bad for him - and Mingyu repeated his actions. “It won’t happen again, I promise” he assured before returning to his labor. Mingyu just nodded in response as he kept on cooking, and silence filled their station. Kihyun didn’t know how to keep Changkyun away from him; it was something extremely difficult. The latter didn’t seem to ever give up but he refused to fall for his manipulation tactics.

The whole day went on like that, Changkyun asking if what he was doing was good and Kihyun trying to reject him each time. At the end of their shift, Mingyu was already making fun of him. The taller one had been watching them and he believed Changkyun was starting to break his unbreakable wall. “He’s not! I’m not giving up!” he half-whispered half-yelled not to be heard by the others - specially not by Changkyun -. Mingyu just chuckled at his reaction and earned a punch on his arm. “Fuck you” Kihyun murmured, throwing his chef uniform into his backpack and closing his locker harshly before leaving the locker room.

There were some people left in the kitchen while he walked past it. Kihyun was leaving the restaurant earlier than usual and, thankfully, there was no sign of Changkyun. The brunette went to his bus stop as fast as he could and he regretted his whole existence when he saw the young chef waiting for the bus too. __‘Shit, what should I do?’__  he thought though he had no other option. He wanted to get back home quickly so he could sleep well that night and he wasn’t gonna let some kid spoil his sleeping hours. Kihyun took a deep breath before heading to the stop and tried his best to pretend he didn’t see Changkyun there. It was useless.

“Going home early, sir?” the black haired asked, going closer to his superior. Kihyun nodded in response, making it clear he didn’t want to start a conversation. “I see” Changkyun looked at the scenery, awkwardly scratching his nape. “I thought you had an expensive car” the younger chuckled.

“No, I clearly don’t” Kihyun said in a annoyed tone of voice.

“Sir, I’m sorry for asking so many questions... I know you are mad at me because of that and I’ll make sure not to bother you anymore” Changkyun apologized for being annoying earlier and Kihyun had to admit it sounded pretty authentic in his opinion. But maybe every manipulating boy did that. Making people believe in their fake words was their main ability. Kihyun decided not to say anything in return and just hum. He didn’t want to start talking nicely to him. “I know I’m not good enough but I’m practicing to get better” the younger went on, seeing the brunette wouldn’t reply anything. “I promise I’ll make you and Ryeowook-hyung proud” he flashed the sou-chef a tiny smile.

“Why me? Why do you even care about my opinion?” Kihyun asked, not being able to shut up any longer. Maybe he would be able to get some information from the rat.

“Oh... I” Changkyun paused and bit his lower lip. “I think you are the best chef of all times... I seriously admire you” the black haired blushed and Kihyun widened his eyes. Was he serious? __‘Wait! He must be lying to make me fall for his trap! Not happening’__  he thought and changed his expression into a cold and serious one. “Oh, I see, awkward” Changkyun chuckled. “I’m sorry again” the boy’s gaze fell to the floor and, thankfully, the bus arrived. They both entered the vehicle and paid for the ride. It was full of people but Changkyun found a seat and Kihyun growled. He was about to give up and stand there when he saw his coworker motioning for him to go there. “Please sit here, I don’t mind standing up” he offered and Kihyun sighed before sitting. His legs were killing him and it wasn’t like he was surrendering.

“Thank you” the sou-chef muttered. His pride wouldn’t let him say it out loud but Changkyun didn’t seem to mind. He was pretty satisfied by the fact that Kihyun accepted his seat.

“You’re welcome” Changkyun smiled and they stayed in silence the whole ride. Kihyun got down first and the younger waved his hand at him, holding a cute smile on his face while doing so.

 

 

 

“Changkyun!” Kihyun called the younger’s name, desperately needing some help. The restaurant was extremely busy that noon and he decided to leave his pride aside for a few minutes. The sou-chef had been trying to avoid Changkyun but it wasn’t possible when Ryeowook put him under his and Mingyu’s command. The black haired male left everything he was working with on the counter - he wasn’t free either but Kihyun had an important task for him which had to be done fast - and headed to his superior’s station. “I need you to make three different gravies” he said, handing him the recipes. “Please, pay attention and don’t screw up” Kihyun ordered and Changkyun nodded before running back to his counter to start preparing everything.

The sou-chef was going so fast he’d already burned his fingers several times and he was feeling so grumpy he was scared he would explode any second. Their boss, Kim Ryeowook, was yelling more than usual and it was the first time Kihyun insulted him in his mind. Mingyu was holding a frown on his face since they’d started working and Woohyun wasn’t as talkative as usual. The kitchen was full of people walking around to reach for more ingredients and there had been two almost-accidents minutes ago. In other words, everything was a chaos and everyone was grumpy - except for Changkyun, who looked more scared than anything -.

When the younger chef returned with the three gravies Kihyun was surprised to find them well done. He tried them himself before using them and he couldn’t find any mistake, not even the tiniest. “Good, now do this” he handed him another recipe and sent him away. Changkyun didn’t seem to mind though, he was happy his superior was starting to consider him. Kihyun tried his best to ignore the satisfaction showed in the black haired’s face because he didn’t want to grow even grumpier.

The day went on like that so in the afternoon, when they had their break, all chefs looked drained out. Their energy was long gone and the worst part was they had to go on. They all had coffee cups in their hands and were eating some sweets while chatting. Kihyun was quiet. He limited himself to just listen to the others’ jokes and stories because he didn’t feel like talking. He needed some time to relax and that was a good moment for it. “Changkyun-ah” Jihyun, one of the women of the group said, startling the young male. “Tell us something about yourself” she ordered and the black haired visibly blushed. He was nervous, Kihyun could tell. “Come on, we just want to get to know you better” she winked and Changkyun chuckled nervously.

“What do you want me to say? I’m not an interesting person” all eyes were on him and Kihyun could notice his suffering. Mingyu was already smiling evilly, enjoying himself a bit too much, but the brunette had other purpose. His main objective was to know about Changkyun’s past so everyone could figure out how fake he truly was. But the boy wasn’t stupid, Kihyun remembered. He was damn smart and he wouldn’t show his true self in front of everybody.

“Mm... do you have any siblings?” Jihyun asked, trying to make him talk.

“Yeah, I have two older brothers” Changkyun replied but he didn’t seem less nervous. Kihyun observed in silence as he talked, trying to find something to prove he was completely different from what he showed, something that could unmask him. But he found nothing in his gestures and expressions. “My parents died long ago and I have a cat named Mong” he added and everyone let out a slight chuckle.

“Do you live alone?” Jihyun kept on making questions and Changkyun seemed very uncomfortable - to Mingyu’s delight -. Kihyun wasn’t satisfied though, he wanted more information but Jihyun didn’t ask the right questions.

“No, I live with my younger brother” the black haired said.

“So you don’t have a girlfriend, do you?” Jihyun made Changkyun blush with those words and he just shook his head, not saying anything. Mingyu covered his mouth not to laugh and Woohyun started insisting Changkyun was lying. After a long discussion which consisted only in Woohyun saying ‘come on, Changkyun-ah, don’t lie’ and Changkyun replying ‘I swear I’m not!’, Kihyun couldn’t take it anymore and opened his mouth.

“I have a question for you” the brunette raised his free hand and then took a sip of coffee. Changkyun’s eyes were wide in surprise and he seemed dumbfounded. Kihyun couldn’t blame him; they barely talked and he always rejected the younger. “What did Ryeowook see in you? Why did he hire you? Did he tell you?” the sou-chef asked and everyone got startled at his question. Jihyun even shook her head, flashing him a look which said ‘shame on you, Kihyun’.

“Um... he told me I was a great student during the whole seminar and then he approached me and asked me to work for him... he didn’t say exactly why...” Changkyun answered, not feeling comfortable.

“That’s strange, don’t you think?” Kihyun rubbed his chin with his hand to pretend he was deep in thought. “He told each and everyone of us” the brunette kept on talking and the only happy one was Mingyu. It was unbelievable that every single person in the kitchen got to like that inexperienced kid. “Was cooking your passion when you were little?” Kihyun stared at Changkyun, trying his best to intimidate him.

“Yeah, sort of... I liked doing lots of things” he paused. “I still do... I just don’t have much time since I’ve started working here” Changkyun confessed. “But I didn’t cook the whole day, if that’s what you mean, sir” the younger clarified and Jihyun patted his back. Kihyun thought maybe the woman felt he was her new son or something because she treated him as if he were fragile.

“It’s okay, no one did” Jihyun said. “We are not robots like Kihyun here” she added and stuck her tongue at the other sou-chef. Before Kihyun could reply something, Ryeowook returned from his short trip to his husband’s office and made everyone get up.The rest of the day, Changkyun seemed hesitant about talking to Kihyun. The latter knew he should feel happy about it but, weirdly enough, he didn’t. ‘He deserved it’ the brunette thought while changing back into his casual clothes, but Changkyun’s puppy eyes were starting to get to him. Mingyu thought his questions were amazing though he wasn’t sure anymore. Humiliating a newbie because he somehow felt he was trying to climb positions wasn’t right. After they all left, Kihyun turned off the lights and started closing the restaurant by himself. He had a bitter feeling in his gut and he decided to apologize for being such a douche. The brunette knew he would probably regret it later on, but he just couldn't forget those damn puppy eyes.

Kihyun's hands were shaking as he tried his best to pull the last part of the gate down but it suddenly went down easily. The sou-chef turned to his side and found Changkyun there, helping him as he did some nights ago. Kihyun stared at him, not knowing how to react at all. He wanted to apologize, he really did, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to leave his pride aside at that moment. Changkyun's face made him want to act tough and grumpy; nothing he could control. "I was just... I was waiting for the bus and I saw you struggling with this and I couldn't just stand there, you know? I mean... I'm sorry, sir! Won't happen again!" Changkyun was ready to run off and climb onto the first bus he saw until Kihyun started laughing. The younger male seemed confused. He didn't move from his spot. He watched his superior laugh for some more minutes before he relaxed and chuckled. "Is this a prank? Is Ryeowook-hyung hiding with a camera somewhere?" Changkyun asked, not knowing what to do in that situation.

"Of course not, kid" Kihyun replied, drying the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes. "I just couldn't help it, you were being funny" the elder said and Changkyun's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"I was being funny?" Changkyun asked, still pretty much shook about his boss' behavior. Kihyun had to admit it, it must have been scary for the black haired chef.

"Yes" the sou-chef answered, letting out a giggle to then straighten up his face again. He was going to apologize; yes, he had to. "Hey, look, I was wrong today and I'm... Damn it" Kihyun paused, clearing his throat. "I'm thh-" the word wouldn't come out and it was letting his lisp show a bit too much for his liking. Changkyun was starting to look so damn confused. 'Embarrassing, Kihyun, you are his boss' he thought.

"It's fine, sir... I understand why you do it" Changkyun interrupted his blabbering parade. "I'm terrible and I shouldn't be working with such great sou-chefs" the younger sighed. "Ryeowook-hyung hired me because my oldest brother is his friend and they worked together before opening their own restaurants" the black haired was confessing something very unexpected and Kihyun dropped his jaw. "I went to his seminars because my brother insisted but, the truth is, I love baking" Changkyun paused, covering his red cheeks with his hands. "I studied to be a chef only because of my brother, and I thought it would be easy for me considering I can bake incredibly well... but it isn't... and I feel terrible because you and Mingyu-hyung have to clean my messes up"

the young male avoided eye contact for long seconds until Kihyun managed to clear his throat and break the uncomfortable silence. So the boy hadn't been completely honest, but he hadn't lied either, he only omitted things. Kihyun couldn't process everything yet though he'd got his answers. Changkyun wasn't trying to climb work positions, he was just being nice with everybody. 'Shit' Kihyun felt stupid at that moment.

"So you are a baker?" the sou-chef broke the silence with a dumb question though good enough to make the tension go away. It wasn't like Kihyun completely changed his mind about the black haired, but he didn't feel like fighting anymore. He was sure now that the male would leave the restaurant as soon as he could so he didn't need to worry.

"Yes, I am" Changkyun let a small smile appear on his face. "Don't worry, I won't last long here" the younger assured. "I think Ryeowook-hyung is trying to convince himself I'm good, but he cannot hide reality. He'll have to fire me soon" Changkyun said.

"It's okay, Changkyun... I was acting like a jackass" Kihyun admitted. He acted like an immature, jealous teenager; nothing good. "I mean, you are a terrible chef..." Changkyun chuckled at his honesty, not minding the bitchy comment at all. "But you have a strong power of determination. I don't see you chopping your fingers anymore" Kihyun made Changkyun laugh.

"Yeah, you taught me well" the black haired relaxed completely after that talk, Kihyun could notice his body less-tense than before. "Okay, I'm glad you are not mad at me... see you tomorrow, sir!" Changkyun enthusiastically exclaimed, but Kihyun stopped him when he turned around to leave.

"Stop calling me 'sir'. I feel so damn old when you do it" the elder said and started walking with Changkyun to the bus stop.

"I'm sorry, s- I mean, Kihyun-hyung?" the black haired hesitated though Kihyun nodded, assuring him it.was okay. "Are you taking the bus with me?" Changkyun asked and the sou-chef didn't answer, he entered the bus - which had just arrived -. "I see" the younger followed him and they sat side by side near one of the windows, riding in silence until Kihyun had to get down.

"Good night, Changkyun" the elder greeted.

"Good night, hyung! See you in a few hours" Changkyun smiled and Kihyun started wondering if things would change from that day on and if Mingyu would get mad at him when he discovered Kihyun apologized to the one they hated.

When he got into his apartment, he went straight to bed. He thought a lot about what had just happened. Hoseok was snoring next door and the noise didn't let Kihyun sleep. He took long to finally fall into the slumber and he had a lot of time to think. Maybe he wouldn't treat Changkyun wrongly anymore, even if giving him awful tasks was fun to him.


	3. Trying not to like him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! It's been such a long time since I last updated :c  
> I'm sorry about that, my inspiration flew away and I had other ideas and got inspired by them... so it wasn't good for this story...  
> As a gift, I'll make an extra part and it will have some action ;) haha  
> So I hope I don't take that long with the last one but I can't promise anything since my inspiration is quite unstable lately D:
> 
> Thank you for always supporting me! I hope you enjoy this <3  
> Comments will be appreciated and I'll answer each one like always ^^

When they had that talk, Kihyun didn’t expect anything more than being in good terms with Changkyun. They were only working together and getting along was something they needed. But, after some weeks of being nice to each other, Kihyun was starting to fall into the spell. The younger was cute and enthusiastic - something the sou-chef didn’t think was fake anymore - and he liked it maybe a little ~~too much~~. Now he was the one calling Changkyun all the time and he wasn’t proud of it. _‘I’m a sou-chef, I should be the one behaving professionally’_  he thought before seeing all those unchopped vegetables lying on the counter and he couldn’t contain himself anymore. “Changkyunnie” yeah, he did that. He wasn’t proud of it either but it was hard to control the nickname from coming out when the other was being so sweet.

“Yes, hyung!” the younger said, standing right next to him to wait for his order. It was cute as hell and made Kihyun more whipped.

“Can you chop these?” the brunette asked politely and Changkyun just nodded. He grabbed a tray, placed all the vegetables there and went back to his station. Kihyun followed him with his eyes and, once he started, he turned back to what he was previously doing.

“Wow” Mingyu shook his head in disbelief. “You said you wouldn’t fall for his spell and look at you now” he added, making Kihyun blush a little. Mingyu couldn’t believe he was behaving that way though he was trying his best to understand. The brunette treated the boy like trash for almost an entire month, or maybe a bit more, and, there he was, liking him more each second.

“I didn’t! I just figured we have to get along to work together” he lied because he was totally biased. The sou-chef understood his coworkers, Changkyun had something in him that made everyone melt.

“Yeah, right” Mingyu narrowed his eyes. “What did he tell you? Did he threaten you?” the tall one went closer to Kihyun and stared into his orbs to make sure he wasn’t lying.

“He didn’t do anything” the elder said thought Minhyuk laughed. It was obvious he had a talk with Changkyun but he wasn’t sure whether to tell his friend or not. He didn’t want anyone making fun of him for pretending to be tough. It was too late though, Jihyun was starting to notice his change in attitude too and it wasn’t something good. “What?” Kihyun asked, still pretending not to know.

“Oh, come on, I’m not stu- he’s back” Mingyu interrupted his own sentence when Changkyun got back with his task done. Kihyun had to admit, the younger was slowly getting good at it. The vegetables had no flaws for the first time since he started working at the restaurant.

“Thank you, Changkyunnie” the sou-chef smiled but it faded the moment he noticed Mingyu’s knowing stare.

“Anything else you want me to do, hyung?” the black haired had that soft smile on his face and Kihyun momentarily forgot about Mingyu’s burning stare.

“Not for now” Kihyun replied. “I’ll let you know if I do” he added and Changkyun nodded, leaving to help other sou-chefs. As he did so, Kihyun turned back to Mingyu and sighed. “Fine! We talked” the brunette admitted. “He told me some personal things and I discovered he wasn’t being fake” he omitted some details because he didn’t want to tell his friend everything. “I’m giving him a chance because I misjudged him” he stopped talking and Mingyu rolled his eyes.

“I knew it” the tall one said. “What if he was lying?” Mingyu asked.

“He wasn’t, trust me” Kihyun answered. “He’s a terrible chef” he whispered to himself.

“What?” those words weren’t meant to be heard by Mingyu but he apparently did.

“Nothing!” Kihyun chuckled nervously. “Let’s just work” he added and Mingyu rolled his eyes one more time.

 

 

It was a lovely day. The sun was up in the sky, there were no clouds covering the bright light blue color and people seemed to be active. Kihyun wasn't okay with that. He'd never cared about his surroundings but the problem wasn't the crowd around him, the problem was Hoseok. The latter was the reason for the sou-chef not to like sunny days. Hoseok became noisy and his exercising obsession grew stronger. It became so strong he dragged his grumpy roommate to the park to make him work out. It was insane, really, but Kihyun couldn't say no. Hoseok had a gift and Kihyun was starting to realize he'd misjudged Changkyun a lot when they met because the young male had never behaved like Hoseok. "20! Come on, Kihyunnie! 21! Faster!" Hoseok yelled and Kihyun did one more push up to then fall face fist on the grass, breathing like crazy due to his tiredness.

"I can't, Hoseok-hyung! I'm not like you!" Kihyun growled and thought how good it would be to punch his roommate hard as revenge. "I'll just watch" he stayed down, unable to move. Hoseok whined and stopped to look at his almost dead friend.

"Come on! I don't want to do it alone" Hoseok pouted. "You can do less than me! How about half?" he asked but Kihyun shook his head, not lifting it from the ground. "Fine, I knew you didn't like me- Um... May I help you?" Hoseok suddenly said, making Kihyun look up in curiosity. His roommate had interrupted his own words for a reason and the sou-chef almost had a heart attack when he found Changkyun by his side, holding a playful grin on his face. He was wearing tight jogging pants that made his skinny legs stand out and a long black t-shirt which showed his incredible collarbones. He looked stunning and Kihyun couldn't believe he was checking one of his employees out. From head to toe, more than once. He wasn't proud of it.

"Hi, hyung" Changkyun greeted and Kihyun quickly sat up, fixing his hair and clothes in the speed of light. "I saw you working out and I thought it would be nice to say hi" he added and Kihyun smiled. Hoseok was no longer confused about the newcomer's presence, but he seemed to be curious about how Kihyun was related to him.

"Hi, Changkyunnie" the older was embarrassed. Why did Changkyun have to be there at that moment? Couldn't it be other person he wasn't trying to impress? "What are you doing here at the park?" the sou-chef said what first came to his mind while trying to forget the other saw his poor performance minutes ago.

"I'm here with some friends" the younger answered. "Oh, I'm Changkyun, his assistant, nice to meet you" Changkyun shook Hoseok's hand, not wishing to be rude.

"I'm his roommate, Hoseok! Nice to meet you too" the elder replied. "Kihyun didn't tell me he had a new assistant" he glanced at Kihyun but didn't say anything else. The sou-chef knew he would demand some explanation later and he wouldn't be able to run away from it.

"Why would I tell you? It's not like you need to know every time a new chef enters the restaurant" Kihyun defended himself and Hoseok shook his head in disbelief. Maybe he was making it clear he liked Changkyun more than any of his coworkers, but Hoseok was the only one noticing. They knew each other since they were little and the gym teacher couldn’t be fooled by Kihyun.

"Much less if they are as terrible as me" the younger joked and Kihyun couldn't help to laugh. They were feeling more comfortable each day and the sou-chef wasn’t restraining himself around Changkyun anymore. He didn’t mind laughing at one of his silly jokes.

“Where are your friends? You can bring them here if you want to” Kihyun asked and had a brilliant idea. “They could help Hoseok-hyung with his exercises since he hates doing them alone” he added and Hoseok whined.

“Oh, they are...” Changkyun paused, searching for his group of friends around the green space. “They must have gone too far for me to see” he finished his sentence and Kihyun growled. “The thing is, they like running” the black haired explained after seeing his superior complain. “And I like coming to the park to read or draw or just to watch the scenery” Changkyun was just like him and he didn’t feel that useless anymore. “I hate exercising... no offense, hyung” he directed his last words to Hoseok and the latter told him it was fine.

“See, Hoseok-hyung?” Kihyun said. “I’m not the only one” he pushed his roommate - who was on his knees - and made him fall on his butt. “Hey, do you want to sit here? Hoseok-hyung can go with your friends” Kihyun joked and Hoseok pouted.

“Are you seriously not running with me?” the elder asked and the sou-chef shook his head. “Fine, I’ll be around the park” he seemed offended but Kihyun knew he couldn’t be mad for long. Changkyun watched Hoseok leave and then sat down beside his superior, not saying anything. It was at that moment when Kihyun started to realize he had just invited his employee to hang out with him.

“Um-”

“I-”

They both spoke at the same time and they chuckled. Changkyun scratched his nape awkwardly right after and Kihyun knew he had to think of something to say quickly. “So, were you reading, drawing or doing nothing today?” he asked as fast as he could so the awkward silence disappeared.

“The third option” Changkyun giggled. “I was feeling extremely tired today” Kihyun couldn’t blame him, they had a heavy night at the restaurant. He himself was feeling extremely tired too - and Hoseok managed to drag him to the park anyway -. “Last night was too much... I’m starting to regret it” Changkyun said and Kihyun’s heart sped up for some unknown reason. He knew he hated the younger at the beginning but he didn’t want him to leave anymore. He was learning, he could get better and better until he was at the restaurant’s level. Kihyun wanted him to follow his dream and be a baker though he had already studied to be a chef, hadn’t he? He could take advantage of the job for a few years. “I haven’t been baking lately... I miss it” the black haired’s eyes were on his own hands as he played with his fingers. Kihyun felt bad for him and placed his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to create a depressing environment” Changkyun chuckled. “I just don’t know what to do with my life” Kihyun stared at him and thought he was only 23. He had his whole life ahead and he could still figure everything out. The sou-chef was 30 and he had always known he wanted to be a chef though he had his doubts in the past too.

“Don’t worry, Changkyun-ah” the elder caressed his employee’s shoulder. “You are young and you can figure it out later” Kihyun smiled reassuringly. “It’s not the end of the world, kid” he joked and made Changkyun chuckle slightly. “By the way, you need to bake something for me some day” he said and the younger laughed. “I want to know if you are good for real or if you are just lying to me” he kept on joking, trying to make the other feel better.

“I promise I will, hyung” Changkyun grinned. “But I must warn you I’m very good at baking and you’ll become addicted to sweets” the younger made him laugh.

"I don't think so" Kihyun joked and Changkyun pretended to get offended by the comment. "I should probably get back to Hoseok now" the sou-chef sighed, watching Hoseok pout at him from the distance. "He's fucking pouting at me! And I cannot take it" he growled because he knew his roommate was a little kid most of the times and he felt the need to protect him. It was silly, Hoseok didn't need any protection. He had those strong arms and his perfectly toned everything, but he still acted like a child. Children were always Kihyun's weakness, nothing he could explain.

"He seems to have great power over you" Changkyun said and Kihyun had to punch him. "I shouldn't have said that" he whispered while he rubbed his sore arm. "I'm sorry, you have to understand it's weird to see my hardcore boss soft for someone" he explained and Kihyun rolled his eyes but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't believe Changkyun hadn't realized how whipped his boss was for him yet. Kihyun was sure he was being extremely obvious and embarrassing - mostly in Mingyu's opinion -. "Okay, then, I guess I'll just lie down somewhere and sleep for a while" Changkyun announced, standing up.

"See you at the restaurant, Changkyunnie" Kihyun waved his hand at his employee and Hoseok ran back to his side. "Did you really have to use that to manipulate me? I was with an employee! Now he thinks I can actually be soft for someone" he lied because it was funny to make Hoseok feel guilty. But it didn't work. His roommate stared at him with a raised brow and the sou-chef's heart sped up. Did Hoseok realize he kind of liked Changkyun?

"Yoo Kihyun, I've never got to see you so damn whipped before" he did realize everything. 'Shit' Kihyun thought and tried to pretend he wasn't whipped at all. "Don't you dare lying, Yoo Kihyun! I know you too well to be fooled by you" Hoseok said and Kihyun gave up.

"Fine! He's sweet and hardworking and I may like him a little" the younger admitted though he didn't know if he was ready for that. "But it's wrong and I will just leave my feelings aside"

"Why is it wrong? Your restaurant has no rules against couples" Hoseok told him and it was completely true, but Changkyun was 23 and Kihyun was 30. He felt like a damn pedophile.

"That's not the problem, Hoseok-hyung" Kihyun knocked on Hoseok's head as if he was a wooden door. "He's fucking 23! And I don't date people from work" the brunette sou-chef grunted. "Let's get back home, I'm tired" he protested.

"Why can't you accept it, Kihyunnie? He's nice" his roommate wouldn't stop insisting. "You are making a big fuss! So what if he's younger than you?" he continued and Kihyun wanted to punch him.

"He's not just younger, he's a kid!"

"Such a drama queen, Yoo Kihyun" Hoseok helped him stand up. "Let's go, I'm getting hungry anyway" the elder dragged him to the street and he turned around twice to wave his hand at Changkyun. 'Damn, I'm seriously whipped' he thought while following Hoseok back to their apartment.

 

 

 

"Changkyun-ah? Are you okay?” Kihyun asked Changkyun when he found him staring at the baking ovens and the huge machines to make pastries. Everyone was gone already and the sou-chef was turning off the lights the moment he saw the young man standing in the middle of the other kitchen. He was about to call him so they could leave the place together but he realized what he was doing there and he wanted to help him bake something. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay a bit longer that night, would it? Kihyun was willing to help because he was so fond of the boy lately - Hoseok mocked him all the time for it - that he couldn’t leave without getting a smile from him. Besides, they didn’t work the next day. They could sleep until late without worrying about their responsibilities.

“Hyung! I’m fine! Is everyone gone? I can help you lock the restaurant” Changkyun hurried out but Kihyun grabbed his wrist, stopping him midway.

“I was thinking...” Kihyun paused, turning to look at his employee. “You could show me your baking skills tonight so I can make sure you are truly good at it” he continued and Changkyun seemed startled. “Trust me, I’m an expert in tasting pastries and all kinds of sweets” he winked and the younger chuckled, finally getting his intentions. “I’ll take that as a yes” Kihyun grinned and let go of Changkyun to go turn the bakery’s lights back on. “Don’t hold yourself back, use every ingredient you need and I’ll talk to Ryeowook-hyung on Monday” he assured and Changkyun suddenly hugged him. Kihyun’s entire body went stiff at the contact because it had never happened before. His heart was speeding up and he didn’t like his reactions; they made him convince himself even more about how much he liked Changkyun.

“Oh, sorry” the younger scratched his nape nervously after letting go. Kihyun’s stiffness made him feel embarrassed and it was perfectly understandable. “I forgot you were my boss for a second” he chuckled. “Thank you, hyung” he smiled and headed to the cupboard where all the ingredients were kept. “What do you like? What can I make?” Changkyun was so excited Kihyun wanted to squeeze his cheeks though he restrained himself from showing his own enthusiasm.

“I really love chocolate but you can make whatever you want” the sou-chef replied and the younger nodded, grabbing a bunch of stuff to then place them on the work table. Then he searched for different bowls and mixing utensils and placed them there too. Kihyun observed Changkyun, paying attention at every single move he made, and he was impressed. The sou-chef believed the other wasn’t good at anything related to cooking but he was wrong. He underestimated Changkyun and he was regretting it. The younger wasn’t slow like he was when he cooked. His hands moved expertly and he looked so happy while baking. Kihyun dragged a stool to the counter and sat there, getting tired of standing.

The sou-chef thought about how Changkyun was extremely tired minutes ago and, despite his 10 hour shift, he seemed very energetic at that moment. It was as if he forgot about everything and started his day over again. It reminded Kihyun of himself when he became a chef. Even if he was dying at the end of the day, he arrived home and cooked something for Hoseok. Kihyun spaced out for a few seconds, thinking about those days, until he saw Changkyun pouring some chocolate cake dough in a cake tin. “Are you making chocolate cake?” Kihyun asked and the younger nodded, handing him the bowl with the remains of the sweet dough.

“Black Forest cake” Changkyun smiled toothlessly. “It’s simple but I’ve made it a thousand times and it helps me relax” he said and the elder stood up to go look for a spoon. He spent the rest of the time eating the chocolate dough while watching Changkyun bake. The whole kitchen smelled so nice Kihyun’s appetite got back, even after all the food he had before. Changkyun was making some cherry jam in a pan and it also smelled delicious. When he turned off the stove, he gave Kihyun the wooden spoon he was using to mix everything. “There you go” he said and the elder giggled.

“Are you trying to get me fat, Changkyun?” he asked and the black haired laughed.

“You were staring at the pan as if you were eating with your eyes, hyung” Changkyun replied and he punched his arm because, how could he? Disrespectful brat. The younger whined at the punch but proceeded to make some sweet cream. “Admit it, hyung, you were drooling” he said while looking for the mixer.

“I wasn’t! Shut up, kid” Kihyun denied, even if he knew it was true. Changkyun just chuckled and shook his head at his behavior before he started finally mixing the cream. The sou-chef licked the spoon in silence as the other worked and once he finished doing all the separate things, he put everything together to form the cake. Kihyun couldn’t wait to taste it but Changkyun took his time decorating it and he was growing impatient. The younger was meticulous when it came to decorating and Kihyun wondered why he wasn’t like that when cooking. _ _‘It’s not so different’__  he thought though he knew it was completely different. He didn’t like baking and Changkyun didn’t like cooking. They were the opposite.

“Done!” the black haired yelled happily. “I’ll cut it” he said and went to look for a knife. Kihyun apparently had a hungry look on his face because Changkyun cut the cake as slow as he could, glancing at his superior while doing so.

“Oh my God” Kihyun protested. “Are you doing it on purpose?” he asked and the younger nodded, giggling playfully. “You are the worst” Kihyun made Changkyun laugh. When the piece of cake was in front of him, the elder couldn’t stop himself any longer. It was so good. He had never eaten anything similar and he now understood why Changkyun wanted to be a baker instead. “This is so good” he spoke as he chewed and Changkyun smiled. “Wait” Kihyun frowned as he saw his companion sitting there without eating the cake. “Aren’t you eating?” he was confused.

“Oh, I never eat what I bake” Changkyun confessed and Kihyun’s jaw dropped. “I like baking things but they are too sweet for me”

“Are you serious?” Changkyun nodded and the sou-chef couldn’t believe it. “Please try this” he stretched his arm in the younger’s mouth’s direction and tried to convince him, but he shook his head like a little kid. “Come on, try it” he insisted and Changkyun gave up, finally opening his mouth to taste it. He chew for a few seconds without saying anything until he swallowed. “And?” Kihyun was sure Changkyun was just making a fuss in vain because he had never tried any of his cakes before. He couldn’t dislike something if he had never tried it, right?

“It’s better than I expected” the younger admitted and Kihyun smiled proudly. “But it’s too sweet” he added and the brunette rolled his eyes, making Changkyun laugh. “I’m sorry, I’m pretty annoying when it comes to my eating habits” he said and Kihyun was surprised. He had never seen Changkyun as a picky eater.

“You don’t seem annoying at first sight, but I can tell now” they both laughed and Kihyun kept on eating that delicious cake. They stayed in silence for long minutes, avoiding eye contact while the elder ate more. Their gazes met from time to time and they chuckled when it happened. Since they spent so the whole day together they didn’t know what to say, but it wasn’t awkward. “Hey, it’s pretty late” Kihyun spoke after a while, realizing how late it was. “Won’t your brother get worried?” he asked, cutting his third piece of cake - he wasn’t proud of it... but it was too good -.

“My brother?” Changkyun seemed surprised. “He’s probably fast asleep” he giggled. “He doesn’t care what time I get home” he said, making Kihyun worry a bit. The black haired was young and his brother should take care of him. “Hyung, it’s okay” Changkyun noticed the worried look on his face. “I’m a grown man and he works a lot too” he explained and the elder nodded, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “He writes for a food magazine and he travels a lot” Changkyun was opening up to him and he liked that.

“So, the three of you are chefs?” Kihyun curiously asked and his companion replied with a nod of his head. “It must be nice... I don’t have any brothers” he thought about his lonely childhood and how strongly he had wished for a brother.

“It’s nice but also annoying” Changkyun made him laugh. The empty kitchen was starting to feel cold around them and Kihyun couldn’t help to shiver a bit. His coat was still hanging from one of the stools and he had just realized how cold he felt. “Hyung, do you want to leave?” Changkyun interrupted their silence and Kihyun didn’t want to but they seriously had to. “You can take the rest of the cake with you” he smiled and the elder couldn’t refuse.

“Well... I cannot say no” Kihyun said and they both giggled. After that, they stood up and organized everything so no one would realize they had been there. Before leaving, Changkyun helped him close the restaurant and they stared at each other, not knowing what to do next. Kihyun had a box with the rest of the cake - he was sure Hoseok would be happy about it - and he forgot they were taking the same bus.

“Shall we...?” Changkyun pointed at the bus stop and Kihyun nodded repeatedly, starting to walk in its direction. They waited for the vehicle side by side and it didn’t take long to come. It was almost empty so they sat down at the front. While they traveled, Kihyun thought about how late it was though there was no problem because they didn’t have to wake up early.

“My stop is near” Kihyun said, standing up with the box in his hands. “I’ll see you on Monday” he smiled.

“Thank you for everything, hyung. I had fun” Changkyun grinned and the elder blushed a bit. “See you” he waved his hand and Kihyun pressed the bell, getting out of the bus.

 

 

“Oh my God, you have to marry him! This is delicious!” Hoseok yelled while chewing a piece of cake the next morning. Kihyun was preparing some coffee and trying to avoid his annoying roommate. Maybe he understood what Changkyun meant about how annoying having brothers was. Hoseok was like his older brother though he felt like a younger one. He didn’t let any opportunity of mocking him go away, he took every single chance and used it for Kihyun to be grumpy. “How was your night?” Hoseok asked and the younger glared at him. “What? I asked you a simple question” he pretended to be innocent but Kihyun knew better.

“Yeah, a simple question” he growled, dragging the two cups of coffee to the table where Hoseok was eating. “I let him bake because he was looking like a sad puppy... just that” Kihyun said. “Seriously, hyung” he paused, sitting right in front of his friend. “He’s my coworker, nothing else!” Kihyun was growing tired of repeating it though Hoseok wouldn’t accept it so easily. “He’s so young and I don’t like him” when he said that, his roommate laughed sarcastically.

“Yeah, you don’t like him” Hoseok shook his head in disbelief. “When was the last time you helped someone like that? You never do that, Kihyunnie! Not even with Mingyu or Woohyun” his friend was speaking the truth and he didn’t like it because he couldn’t hide his true feelings from him. Liking Changkyun was wrong in so many levels.

“Stop it, Hoseok-hyung” Kihyun ordered, even if he knew Hoseok wouldn’t respond to that.

“Fine, I’ll do it” to the younger’s surprise, his roommate obeyed. “But I know you like him” he added and Kihyun growled. “Well, you stayed until 4am there with him and you won’t change my mind” he shut up after that and started telling Kihyun some gym stories. The latter didn’t care about those, but he listened to Hoseok every time. He couldn’t do it that morning, though. He was so immersed in his own train of thought that he couldn’t pay attention to a single word he heard. Maybe he should just stop treating Changkyun so well so he didn’t like him anymore. __‘I used to hate him... it shouldn’t be hard to stop giving him benefits’__  he thought and decided he would do that. “Kihyun!” Hoseok yelled and interrupted him. “You are not even listening to me” the elder pouted and Kihyun had to spend almost 15 minutes apologizing for Hoseok to calm down.

 

 

 

The next day Kihyun arrived a little late at the restaurant. He fell asleep for the first time in his career and it was all because of Changkyun. He didn’t want to treat the younger differently but he had to do it. He had to prevent himself from liking him more each moment because he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop if he accepted his feelings. The problem was Changkyun flashed him a worried look when he entered the kitchen and automatically ran to him, trying to find out if he was fine. “Hyung! I was so worried” the younger said, standing in front of him. “Are you okay?” he asked, touching his arm and caressing it softly. Kihyun was about to melt in his eyes but his gaze fell on Mingyu judging him and the spell broke.

“I’m fine, Changkyunnie” he answered, smiling reassuringly. “I just fell asleep” he explained and Changkyun sighed in relieve.

“You were never late before so I got really worried” he said and then they both headed to the locker room. Changkyun was ready but he went with Kihyun anyway. “Hyung, I told Ryeowook-hyung you let me stay on Saturday and he didn’t mind” the younger sat on a bench while he changed into his uniform. “I owe you one, you can ask anything from me” Changkyun said but Kihyun shook his head.

“You don’t owe me anything” he assured and put on his chef apron. “I owed you for treating you like trash before” Kihyun patted Changkyun’s head gently. “Let’s go” he dragged Changkyun out of the locker room when he was ready. It was a little late and they had to start working. Ryeowook was getting impatient so they hurried up as much as they could.

The restaurant wasn’t that busy that noon and they could relax a bit. They were able to do things slower with no rush and Kihyun was taking his time, enjoying his job. Mingyu was talking to him while cooking and glaring at Changkyun each time he went closer to them to ask if they needed anything. Kihyun, on the other hand, kept on staring at the young man. He was having an inner fight, a dilemma. He wanted to stop his feelings from growing but, at the same time, he didn’t want to stop talking to Changkyun. He was like a ray of sunshine in his life, even if he couldn’t accept it.

Kihyun didn’t realize how much he was staring at the young chef until Mingyu snapped his fingers in front of his face and made him blush. “You are looking at him! I knew it!” the tall one said. “You like him, don’t you?” Mingyu stated though he denied it. He didn’t want to say he liked him because it would become a fact and he would let himself go. “Then, if you don’t like him, stop giving him benefits and treat him like a normal chef” Mingyu kind of challenged him with those words. “Like any other chef in this kitchen” he added and Kihyun sighed.

“I’ll do it. It’s very easy” he couldn’t reject a challenge and it was the perfect opportunity to stop liking him. “You’ll see” Kihyun smiled arrogantly and decided to start treating Changkyun as a normal coworker and not as a friend - or a crush -. It would be difficult but he was sure he could nail it.


End file.
